As a family wheeler / wifey's truck.

I have found a very clean Texas truck. 3.2 SOHC, 5-spd, Sway-a-way torsion bars and OME coils. LT255-65-16 Cooper STT's. White. Janer. Nice condition, runs and drives well.

Oh Isuzu gods; what are the pitfalls ahead of me? It has had a timing belt very recently, I trust the current owner, and this is a nice rig.

Worst part about these trucks?

Stuff that is going to bother me every time I drive it?

Reasons I shouldn't trust it to carry the wife and chilruns reliably and in reasonable safety?

Thanks in advance, folks.

I like them. Decent space, good ride, not bad on power, handle decent and fair off-roaders. I love the 30/70 rear doors.

One of the 'common' problems that I know about is the belt tensioner that makes a noise like a rod knock to the point that many mechanics mis-diagnose the problem. An easy fix if you know about the problem going in.

The mpg won't be great but if you are used to Wagoneers, you shouldn't be worried about that :flipoff2:

A lot of fuel pumps go at 135,000 or they last forever. I probably know 4-5 people who had them fail within that same mileage. Mine (1990 Amigo) is over 200,000 and 21 years old and still pumping the gas.

You will hate changing CV boots if they crack. If you flat tow, pull the rear shaft. Mine is a slip yoke so I have to drop the shaft from the rear and leave it plugged into the t-case. Some have a flange attachment at the front so dropping the shaft is easy.

If you do get it, check back and we'll give you the good contact names for parts and support. That's the biggest problem - Isuzu parts are getting scarce.

Thanks.

Yeah, the 18-ish MPG for the Trooper will be at least a little better than the 14-15 I am used to.

Dealing with half the normal horsepower is a bit of a change, though....


I will keep an eye on the belt tensioner. I believe this truck has the flange-to-flange rear driveshaft.

One thing that is bugging me is mounting a roof rack. Not too thrilled with the idea of pulling the headliner and drilling the roof - but the racks/install kits I have seen so far seem to include some really cheesy hold-down-clip things.

One thing that is bugging me is mounting a roof rack. Not too thrilled with the idea of pulling the headliner and drilling the roof - but the racks/install kits I have seen so far seem to include some really cheesy hold-down-clip things.

Should be a solid truck overall. They should be able to go for a lot of miles with good maintenance

What about using Yakima/Thule legs to mount a rack? You could get the clamp style the go into the door area...that would help some.

If that isn't an option, maybe check out planetisuzoo.com and see what others have done to make mounts.

As a family wheeler / wifey's truck.

I have found a very clean Texas truck. 3.2 SOHC, 5-spd, Sway-a-way torsion bars and OME coils. LT255-65-16 Cooper STT's. White. Janer. Nice condition, runs and drives well.

Oh Isuzu gods; what are the pitfalls ahead of me? It has had a timing belt very recently, I trust the current owner, and this is a nice rig.

Congrats, that 3.2L motor and 5-speed tranny are a very reliable and durable combo, should serve you well.


Stuff that is going to bother me every time I drive it?

The SOHC can and usually does have some hydraulic lifter tick, but that is more of an annoyance than an actual problem. Isuzu suggests running 0W30 Mobil One to help clean out the lifters, sometimes it works. Others have used Seafoam in the crankcase before an oil change, with some success.

Reasons I shouldn't trust it to carry the wife and chilruns reliably and in reasonable safety?

Thanks in advance, folks.
Well, it doesn't have 42 air bags and stability control, but if you drive it like what it is, an SUV with a higher center of gravity than a car, you should be fine. My first Trooper got T-boned by an Exploder going 50 mph, and I walked away unhurt.

One thing that is bugging me is mounting a roof rack. Not too thrilled with the idea of pulling the headliner and drilling the roof - but the racks/install kits I have seen so far seem to include some really cheesy hold-down-clip things.
The Trooper actually has threaded holes in the roof, under tape that is under those rubber strips. Some people have used those to mount expedition racks and the like...much more than that I cannot tell you as I have never done it.

I think the '95 was one of the very best years for the trooper.
The sohc obd1 motor is rock solid, and doesnt have many of the problems that the later dohc motors do. The only thing that you must do is keep it full of oil! Check it regularly, and it will reward you years of service. The '95 is not shift on the fly, so the cv boots tend to last a long time since they are not spinning all the time.
My '95 ls just turned over 220,000 miles and seems to run as good as ever. Stock cv boots, stock fuel pump, stock tranny, etc.

Now I'm sad, it ticks me off that isuzu abandoned me.......

Thanks for the info, gents. I am pretty sure that I will pull the trigger on this over the weekend coming up. I did find an aftermarket 3rd row seat locally for a hundred bucks, also. W00t!

we had a third row in our '95 and it works ok for small children, but not for anyone over 12. We only had lap belts on ours as well, and that always bugged me a little.

we had a third row in our '95 and it works ok for small children, but not for anyone over 12. We only had lap belts on ours as well, and that always bugged me a little.

Understood. The lap belts will anchor car seats. Which have the normal car-seat harnesses in them.

I have the 5-speed 3.2 combo in my 95 Rodeo and it is good. Enough get up and go to merge on to freeways with the A/C on. Still turns in good fuel mileage although I'd like it if there was a taller 5th gear or maybe a 6th gear. Revs a little higher than I would like at 75mph. Taller tires would help that and your Trooper may not suffer from the same drawback.
My 3.2 motor has moderate lifter tick. I don't know if it is enough to be concerned but the motor runs great with 172k on it.

I ordered a set of manual hubs to replace the auto models I have as the general feeling is the auto units suck.


I'd buy a Trooper with the same motor + trans without a second thought. Enjoy yours!

Anyone want to sell me a transmission? My 5-speed munched a bearing or two.

1992, 3.2 V6, etc.

Should be extremely easy to find.

I'm pretty sure all Isuzu's from 92+ (Trooper) and 93+(Rodeo) used the MUA5 trans...so should be pretty easy to find a complete trans at a junkyard if you need to go that route.

Hey, I'm selling a Trooper with a good engine and 5-speed tranny. The tranny has teralow low range gears, awesome if you go off road.

http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=58056

Hey, I'm selling a Trooper with a good engine and 5-speed tranny. The tranny has teralow low range gears, awesome if you go off road.

http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=58056

PM on the way.